Cynthia Villar concedes defeat as councilor Santos wins Las Piñas congressional race
Senator Cynthia Villar has conceded defeat to Las Piñas City Councilor Mark Anthony Santos in the congressional race for the city's lone district.
This marks a major political shift, as the Villar family has held key positions in Las Piñas for many years.
According to partial, unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as of May 14, 2025, at 11:30 AM, Santos led by nearly 30,000 votes, securing 108,206 votes. Villar, who ran under the Nacionalista Party (NP), received 78,526 votes.
In a statement, Villar expressed gratitude to her supporters, saying, 'Maraming salamat, Las Piñas! Bagamat hindi tayo pinalad sa halalan, taos-puso ang aking pasasalamat sa inyong suporta at tiwala.'
'Ang paglilingkod sa inyo ay hindi dito nagtatapos. Patuloy akong magsusulong ng mga programa at adbokasiyang makatutulong sa ating bayan. Hindi ito paalam – ito ay pagpapatuloy ng ating pagmamahal at serbisyo sa bawat Las Piñero,' she added.
Villar previously held the position from 2001 to 2010 before winning a Senate seat in 2013. She was re-elected to the Senate for a second term in 2019.
Her daughter, Camille Villar, currently represents the lone district in Congress.
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